The VIP Opening Reception was held at the Outdoor Art Club, a lovely indoor and outdoor venue in Mill Valley.

Delicious canapes were being passed out and the drinks were flowing freely courtesy of the always spectacular staff at Bartender Unlimited, MVFF’s beverage event company.

Directly across the street is the historic Sequoia theater which was showing the opening film Nebraska starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte.

We were lucky enough to have the chance to hear Bruce Dern and Will Forte introduce the film and then answer questions in a Q&A session with Zoe Elton, Director of Programming for the Festival at the end.

Nebraska focused on the relationship between an aging father and his family. It had many laugh-out-loud funny at moments, but was also very touching and thoughtful throughout. I enjoyed it immensely.

The Red Carpet was rolled out and the event organizers had managed to transform a regular shopping mall space into a very magical party venue.

Photographers and film students alike were waiting early for any stars to arrive so that they could be interviewed before the party got into full swing!

There were many of the festival sponsors who had booths of their products on display. Here , our friends at KIND showcase many of their delicious granola bar flavors

The friendly folk at Lagunitas were serving their signature IPA and Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ beers. Delicious as always.

Next for food. We were attracted by a very long line of people and the smell of sweet BBQ sauces. Finally the crowd parted and we saw this delicious pulled pork sandwich offering.

We met the fun and friendly Jim from Big Jim’s BBQ who told us about his signature organic BBQ sauce that you can see him applying very freely!

Such a delicious meal! The BBQ sauce was amazing- the perfect combination of sweet and spicy and the Lagunitas beers were the perfect paring options with the pork.

After eating, we continued to explore and found this great booth offering Strip And Go Bare- An all natural Sparkling Vodka Lemon drink which was surprisingly light, tart and very delicious. It was being offered straight or with grapefruit juice.

After 10 mins of waiting, we were finally blessed with these yummy little risotto balls of cheesy goodness. Made by Pizza Antica, they were worth the wait. The Pizza Antica people were really friendly and made our wait for risotto balls very enjoyable.

Another one of our yummy local vendors, Judy’s Breadsticks, had a display in the main dance-floor tent.

View from inside the dance-floor tent.

The band Kiwi Time were awesome and seemed to be having a great time on stage.

We managed to get some delicious fruity gin cocktails and rocked out on the dance-floor for a while.

Our friends over at The Counter in Corte Madera were also providing food for the event such as these unique and delicious Luau Burgers…

After enjoying the sliders, we escaped the orange light of the dance-floor tent and headed outside to finish our drinks.

It was such a wonderful event, every detail of every moment was planned and executed perfectly. Congratulations to Mill Valley Film Festival for organizing such an awesome evening and thanks again for allowing California Delicious to be a part of such a prestigious California event!

We created these beautiful gift boxes for the VIPs, Filmmakers and Guests- featuring delicious all-natural Almond biscotti cookies made by Moon Dance Baking specifically for this event!

The Mill Valley Film Festival runs until Oct 13th so stay tuned for more posts on the festival fun!

]]>Introducing Guest Blogger Errol Tremolada from Cogitation of a Cal Bear. This self-described Cal Bear. Hiker. Mountain Biker. Trail Runner. Cyclist. Foodie. is the first Guest Blogger at California Delicious and we are honored to include him in our Blog. Enjoy!

Nestled at the base of Mount Tamalpais sits the small town of Fairfax, California. The birthplace of mountain biking not only serves as a nature lover’s mecca but also as California Delicious hidden gem.

Start your day with a cup of Joe at Fairfax Coffee Roastery, at the corner of Bolinas and Center Boulevard. Fairfax is home to the more progressive locals of Marin County; so don’t be surprised if the coffee shop and streets are filled with an eclectic selection ex-hippies that have made this little mountain enclave their home. After fueling up on some caffeine, feel free to charge up the mountain on Bolinas Road and enjoy any of the many hiking trails from Pine Mountain, Cataract Falls and more. If your looking for more of a leisurely walk with phenomenal views, turn off of Bolinas Road and head towards the Marin Municipal Water District Watershed. This watershed houses five lakes, which store water for the county. There are three lakes off of Bolinas Road: Alpine Lake, Bon Tempe Lake and Lagunitas Lake. Bon Tempe and Lagunitas are surrounded by very well maintained trails that provide spectacular lake and summit views of Mount Tamalpais. Feel free to bring your loyal furry friends, as the watershed is dog friendly. There is a parking fee at the watershed (self service) but it’s worth every penny ($7.00 per vehicle). There are picnic tables and barbeque pits as well, so it’s easy to make a day of it out at the lakes.

Once you’ve finished enjoying the great outdoors on the north side of Mount Tamalpais, venture back down Bolinas Road to visit any of the tasty local establishments downtown. If Mexican is your fancy, you can’t beat a burrito at Casa Mañana. Café Lotus boasts the best Indian food in the entire county. If it’s just a slice and beer that you’re looking for then walk on down to long time family owned pizza shop Ghiringhelli’s for a slice of pie made with the freshest local produce available. For your afternoon libation there’s no better spot than Gestalt Haus on Bolinas Road which doubles as a beer hall and sausage shop; nothing but brats and beers in here. Gestalt Haus serves up some of the finest Belgian and German beers as well as the best brews the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Finally before you leave this funky town of Fairfax – you must make a stop at the best craft brewery in all the land, Iron Springs Pub and Brewery. Iron Springs is a very family friendly environment that serves great food. But the real reason to pop on in here is for the hops. Some of our favorites include: Chazz Cat Rye Ale, JC Flyer IPA, Casey Jones Imperial IPA and their signature Epiphany Amber Ale. The pub almost always serves up a seasonal special brew or two and if you are lucky you will catch the Crippla (Iron Springs’ most famous Double IPA and my most favorite beer). The pub has some of the friendliest staff you will ever run across, so say high to Emily, Joey, David, Greta and all the crew. Owners Mike and Anne Altman can always be seen greeting customers and really make this place feel like home. Iron Springs has a great weekly music series with local artists. It’s also a great spot to see the celebrity likes of Phil Lesh (or his kin, whom on occasion will pick up the guitar and play a set or two), Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly. Come enjoy Fairfax and raise a pint or three. Cheers!